The waiting emptiness of a new blog is even more intimidating than that of a blank page. Especially when, as with LiveJournal, there's an already-existing community who all seem to know each other. It's a bit like it must be to go to an SF convention when you don't know anyone.

I once saw a guy in the bar on the Saturday night at a con, (I think it was that Eastercon in Docklands) sitting on his own, wearing a walkman. He seemed to be saying, “I want to be here, but it’s so hard to get in that I might as well make my own entertainment.” I kind of wanted to ask him to join our group, but I didn’t, partly because of my own reticence about approaching a stranger (and fear that I’d end up having to babysit a weirdo for the rest of the con, if I’m honest) and partly because, of course, the other thing his walkman was saying was, “Don’t talk to me.”

Now I don’t want to be saying that, so I’ve got all the comment options enabled. And fortunately I know swisstone and zotz. So that’s a start.

My reasons for joining the blogging revolution (not that I need to give any) are: ego (I want to be like Charlie Stross or Cory Doctorow or Doc Searls) and not wanting to miss out on a bandwagon (if I can paraphrase the Bard (of Barking): “So join the struggle while you may/The Revolution is just a text editor away”).

And I’ve been meaning to set up a personal website for ages anyway. And one day I still will. But in the meantime (and after, in all likelihood) I’ll publish anything I want here.

Thank you for your attention.